They worked for Morton Thiokol (now ATK Thiokol), the Utah-based NASA contractor which produced the solid rocket motors that lifted space shuttles from their launch pads.
But ATK and Astrium believe their experience means they could have the 90m-high (300ft) Liberty rocket ready to fly by 2013, and operational with astronauts on board by 2015.
"This team represents the true sense of international partnership in that we looked across borders to find the best for our customers, " said Blake Larson, the president of ATK Aerospace Systems Group.